Mechanical movement.



` 'PATENTEID FEB. 19, 1907.

T. C. PROUTY. MECHANICAL MOVEMENT. APPLIQATION FILED Nov. 19, 1906.

THEODORE O. PROUTY, OF AURORA,

UFAOTURING COMPANY, OF AURORA,

ILLINOIS.

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILOOX MAN- ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MECHANICALMOVEMENT.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed November 19, 1906. Serial No. 344,063.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THEoDoRE C. PEOUTY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane, State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Movements, ofwhichlthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawmgse .4E-fri its This invention relates to mechanismfor enabling a screw-threaded rod that iits within a fixedinteriorly-screw-threaded member to be moved quickly in a longitudinaldirection and without axial movement. Such mechanism is adapted for usein connection with vises, drills, and many other articles, and hence inview of its applicability to many and varied uses I have not illustratedit in connection with any single machine or tool.

The objects of my invention are to provide mechanism of the generalcharacter1 above specified that will be simple in construction, thatwill possess great strength, and that can be readily and easilyoperated. I attain these objects by the devices and combinations ofdevices illustrated in the accompanying drawings andhereinafterspeciiically described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved mechanism,the expansible nut being shown closed, so that the screw passing throughit can be moved only by an axial movement. Fig. 2 is a view similar toFig. 1, but showing the nut raised away from the screw, or opened, sothat the screw may be freely moved longitudinally by an endwise push orpull. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken at line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is a vertical section taken at line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a verticalsection taken at line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail, being aperspective view of one of the segmental members of the expansible nut.Fig. 7 is a detail, being a perspective view of the ring or collar towhich the friction member is attached and which, through the engagementof pins on the separate members of the expansible nut with cam-slots inthe said ring or collar, moves said nut members toward or away from thescrew-threaded rod.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings, in which correspondingparts are indicated by the same reference-numerals, 10

indicates the operating screw-threaded rod.

11 indicates a supporting-frame through which the rod 10 is adapted tofreely move. In the form of construction shown this frame isapproximately U-shaped, but such shape may be varied from, as thesupport may be made to suit the use to which the mechanism is applied.

12 indicates segments which, taken together, constitute an expansiblenut. This nut is of considerable width, and as-each segment of the nutis threaded on its inner face with threads that correspond to thethreads on the rod 10 with which they coperate it will be seen that whenthe segments are in place on the rod, as in Fig. 1, a long bearing ofthe nut on the rod is had, and that consequently the two partsthe nutand the rod-are strongly united to each other. The strength of the unionbetween these two parts will be further appreciated when it is notedthat the nut when closed, as in Fig. 1, practically completely surroundsthe rod and that therefore its screw-threads engage the screwthreads ofthe rod nearly all the way around the rod. This is illustrated by Fig.4. The screw-threads on the several segmental members of the nut areindicated by 13.

14 indicates a pivot extending laterally from one side and near one endof each segmental member 12 of the nut, each of said pivots beingsecured in the support. 11. Such pivotal connection of each of thesegmental members is clearly indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4.

15 is a ring or collar having a central unthreaded opening 16, throughwhich the rod 10 can freely move. It is located on the rod next to theexpansible nut, and formed in it are a plurality of cam-slots,corresponding in number to the number of the segmental members 12-three`in the construction shown. y These cam-slots are indicated by 17.

. 18 indicates a pin extending laterally from one of the side faces ofeach segmental member 12 and adapted to project into one of the saidcam-slots 17. These pins 18 are on the opposite faces of the segmentalmembers from the pivots 14 and are located near the forward or freeedges of such members 12.

19 indicates a friction device adapted to at all times frictionallyengage the screwthreaded rod 10, said friction device being connectedwith the ring or collar and movable with such ring or collar in the verylim- IOO ited movement permitted, as explained hereinafter. In theconstruction shown this 'friction device 19 is in the form of a bandbent to lie against and very nearly surround the rod 10, and it isconnected with the ring or collar 15 by having one of its ends wrappedaround a pin 20, projecting from the outer face of the ring or collar15. (See Fig. 5.)

Vith the parts assembled as shown and the nut composed of the segmentalmembers 12 closed, as in Fig. 1, and the support 11 made immovable thescrew 10, which, of course, will be provided with a suitable handle, canbe rotated in the usual manner to move it forward through the nut, andby reason of the screw engagement 01' the nut with almost the entiresurface of the rod that is within the nut the engagement between the rodand nut will be a very strong one, indeed, affording almost as strong anengagement as if the nut were the usual solid one-piece nut. It isevident, therefore, that the screw can be put to very severe workwithout danger oi' breaking any of the parts. Now, when it is desired togive a quick longitudinal adjustment to the rod 1() and without rotatingthe rod to accomplish this a slight reverse turn or partial rotation is'first given to the rod, the eiliect of which is, through the frictionalengagement orp the band 19 with the said rod, to cause said band to turnwith the rod, and inasmuch as it is connected with the ring or collar 15such ringV or collar is also turned, this turning continuing until theouter ends of the cam-slots 17 are reached by the pins 1S, that at alltimes project into them. By reason of the slots 18 being cam-shaped thesegments 12, that form the nut, are of course turned on their respectivepivots 14 into the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in which positiontheir screw-threads 13 are entirely clear of the screw-threaded rod.l/Vith these nut members thus raised out of the way the rod 10 can befreely moved longitudinally in either direction, the resistance offeredto such longitudinal move- A ment by the friction of the band 19 beingbut slight and easily overcome. When the rod has thus been adjusted a sneeded and it is desired to again utilize its screw for applying power,a slight turn or rotation of the rod to the right (assuming the screw tobe a righthanded one, as shown) will cause the ring or collar to turnwith the rod to the limit allowed by the cam-slots 17, such turning, ofcourse, drawing down the segmental members 12 of the nut .intoengagement again with the threaded rod. This turning of the collar orring is due, as before, to the irictional engagement of the band 19 withthe rod. Such frictional engagement of the band with the rod whilestrong enough to always compel a turning of the collar or ring to whichit is attached within the limits permitted by the length of the slots 17is not strong enough to interfere with the free axial rotation of therod through the nut when the nut is closed nor with the straightlongitudinal movement of such rod when making a quick adjustment whenthe nut is opened or expanded.

What l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-' 1. The combination with a support and a screw-threaded rod, of anexpansible-nut the members oi which are movable into and outoiengagement with said rod, and means frictionally engaging said rod and`adapted through such irictional engagement to cause said nut to bemoved into and out of engagement with the rod.

2. The combination with a support and a screw-threaded rod, of anexpansible nut the members of which are separately pivoted to saidsupport, and means yfrictionally engaging said rod and adapted throughsuch frictional engagement to cause said nut to"'be moved into and outof engagement with the rod. f

3. The combination with a support and a screw-threaded rod, of amemberpivoted to said support and adapted to engage said rod,

a cam device adapted to move said pivoted member into and out ofengagement with the rod, and means carried by said cam device forfrictionally engaging said rod.

4. The combination with a support and a screw-threaded rod, of a pivotedmember movable into and out of engagement with said rod, a cam deviceadapted to move said pivoted member into rand out of engagement with therod, and a band connected with said cam device and frictionally engagingsaid rod.

5. The combination'with a support and a screw-threaded rod, of a memberpivoted at one end to said support and adapted to be moved into and outof engagement with said rod, a cam device located on said rod oppositethe other end of said pivoted member,

means for loosely connecting said pivoted member and cam devicetogether, and means connected to said. cam device for frictionallyengaging said rod.

6. The combination with a support and a screw-threaded rod, of anexpansible nut on the rod, said nut being composed of a plurality ofsections, a cam device'forexpanding said nut by raising the severalsections thereof out of engagement with the rod, and means carried 'bysaid cam device forfrictionally engaging the rod.

7. The combination with a support and a TOO IIO

screw-threaded rod, of an expansible nut on i the rod, said nut'beingcomposed of a plurality of sections each pivotally connected to saidsupport, a cam device for expanding said nutby turning the severalsections thereoi' on their respectivepivots, and means secured to saidcam device Jfor frictionally engaging the rod.

8. The combination with a support and a ity of sections each pivotallyconnected to projecting pin on the other end, a collarv orscrew-threaded rod, of an expansible nut on the rod, said nut beingcomposed of a pluralsaid support, a carn device for expanding said nutby turning the several lsections thereof on their respective pivots, anda friction-band attached to said cam device and bearing on said rod.

9. The combination With a support and a screw-threaded rod, of anexpansible nut on the rod7 said nut being composed of a plurality ofsections each pivotally connected at one end to said support and eachhaving a ring loose on said rod, said collar or ring having cam-shapedopenings linto Which said j pins project, and means carried by saidcollar or ring for frictionally engaging said rod. 10. The combinationwith a support and a screw-threaded rod, of an expansible nut on therod, said nut being composed of a plurality of sections each pivotallyconnected at one end to said support and each having a projecting pin onthe other end, a collar or ring loose on said rod, said collar or ringhaving cam-shaped openings into Which said pins project, and abandconnected to said collar or ring and frictionally engaging said rod.THEODORE C. PROUTY Witnesses: A

ALBERT H.` ADAMS, l/VILLIAM H. DE BUsK.

